Category: designer

As some of you may recall , if you saw my last post and /or on Instagram , this past Saturday , I sketched live with Giorgio Armani for their event at Saks Fifth Avenue, in Maryland. I sketched from 10:30 until 7 pm with a short break in between for a quick bite. Sketching beautiful people to music for 8 straight hours – nothing to complain about . It was a busy , fun filled energetic day as clients got their makeover done by celebrity make artist Tim Quinn and designer Jesus Estrada along with the Armani beauty team .

I was asked to create sketches of clients in about 15 minutes or less . I chose to do a mix of watercolors , ink and pens. I love doing the quick washes in watercolors and ink and refining it with pen. I started out doing 15 minute sketches , but as the day went by and it got busier in the afternoon . I had to hammer out sketches in less than 10 minutes. But, I love a challenge 🙂

Here’s some of the behind the scenes look and some of the sketches at the event. Enjoy and I’d love to hear your thoughts !

And , thank you all for the support you’ve given me on this crazy journey of mine in the world of illustration. It almost seemed impossible when I started out, but reading your comments, emails and messages keeps me going . I truly value your support !

Often I get asked about how one can improve on sketching , painting etc. I thought I’d create a blog post with the markers that I use the most – Copic , along with Prisma Markers.

There are many ways of creating a single look . Other artists may use different markers within the same brand to achieve a look. This is mine . So feel free to use this as a guide , but come up with your own way to get a certain look.

Here’s a sketch I created from Amazon India Fashion Week , that happened last week, in India. The model is Indian , so the markers I used for the skin tone would apply to a tan skin tone. I normally use these skin tones for Indian skin tones, tanned skin tones etc. I make adjustments on which color to use more to create the appropriate skin tones .

Again depending on the skin color I start out with lighter colors as base colors and then build up on the darker parts . For this sketch , I used E02, E31 , Y11 and RV10 for the skin colors.Mixing RV10 and Y11 give the sketch light blush and pale yellow tones where the light bounces off the skin.

From then on I build on the skin color using E31 – Brick Beige – which is a great color to use for tan / brown skin. The shadows work great with E55 – Light camel. Sometimes I use gray tones to build on shadows on skin. I didn’t in this case.

2. OUTFIT

A black outfit makes this sketch a perfect subject for a tutorial !

The trick to sketching a black outfit is to work with grays as base colors and then use black to fill up on the darker portions . It works well to play with the light and shadows and to create a sense of movement .

I used C3, T3 and C7 for the gray tones.

I don’t know how many black markers I own , honestly. I ran out of black Copic markers , so I turned to Prisma Color marker and Faber Castell pens .

Faber Castell artist pens are , for a lack of a better description – black gold . They are amazing for sketching and creating rich dark tones.

3. FINAL TOUCHES

I usually use Sakura Micron pens to add finishing touches and add outlines to my sketches. They work great along with Copic Markers.

Lets not forget the power of the Colorless blender. Its the perfect tool to blend colors to give it a seamless effect. I highly recommend it when you use two or more markers to achieve a certain look.

Purchasing Copic Markers and Sakura Micron Pens.

Copic Markers available at Blick and Amazon. There’s a small selection of Copics at Michaels. There might be other venues that I’m not aware of , but these are where I get my supply of Copics.

All of the markers , pens (Copics, PrismaColor , Faber Castell , Sakura ) , I’ve referenced in this post are of beautiful quality . So there’s really not a cheap way to get these materials. They are all considered quality illustration materials – which means you get high quality.

If you are starting out or a student , then I recommend starting out small and slowly building up your collection.

Feel free to let me know your thoughts and how you use your art materials for similar sketches .

Here’s a run down on my trip to New York Fashion Week . Finally got around to it. I spent 4 days in New York . It was everything I was hoping for and more. I love the energy it comes with and meeting friends , and meeting new people.

The first day of NYFW , we had a storm – of course.

TADASHI SHOJI

I was fortunate to get backstage access at Tadashi Shoji before the show. I love seeing everything put together before the show. The hair , make up , last minute touches and the energy is almost palpable. Here are a few sketches that I did backstage . These were quick and in less than 5 minutes of the hair and make up .

I used my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil this time at the shows. It was quite easy to navigate in the crowded spots and , not to mention, easy to move around with . I drew on Procreate app on the iPad.

An illustration from one of my favorites from the show – my favorite part of post show 🙂

NOON BY NOOR

I was supposed to head to Noon by Noor’s backstage. But I didn’t have the courage to exit the building into the storm to get backstage. Not happening -unless, I really had to . So I headed straight to the show after Tadashi Shoji within the same facility.

I have a thing for capes ..

HAKKAN AKAYA

This show was all black , all fierce and edgy . Loved the vibe.

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JILL STUART

JIll Stuart’s presentation was filled with haunting beauties in one of the most gorgeous architectural spaces I have seen in New York – The Skylight at 195 , Broadway Street.

FRANCESCA LIBERATORE

There was lace, metallics , bold graphics and typography , stripes and patterns along with the most gorgeous makeup and hairdo.

My favorite look from Francesca Liberatore illustrated below.

I hope you liked the run down – a mix of photographs and illustrations . These were the illustrations from some of the shows that I attended. Sketches from my other favorites are already up on Instagram.

All the illustrations above have been sketched with iPad Pro using Apple Pencil in Procreate app. Its easy to carry around and I can grab at inspiration when it strikes. I worked on some sketches in between shows, easy to carry , store away. I had to make sure to get my charger , portable charger along to charge my phone and iPad (sometimes). While I am all about my pens, markers, watercolors, paints and brushes, I wanted to try out the digital materials this time at NYFW. Downside – I had to be really careful not to drop the iPad or the Pencil – for obvious reasons ! I would’ve not been happy with my decision – but both contraptions made it through backstage trysts , coffee shops, lounges and lived to tell the tale of this trip. Hope you like them.

If there are any questions about the illustrations , or NYFW, feel free to write to me and I’ll do my best to answer them